About Callipepla californica (Shaw, 1798)
The California quail, whose scientific name is Callipepla californica, is also called the California valley quail or Valley quail. It is a small ground-dwelling bird that belongs to the New World quail family. All California quail have a curving forward-drooping crest, plume, or topknot formed from six feathers: the topknot is black in males and brown in females. Their flanks are brown with white streaks. Males have a dark brown cap, a black face, a brown back, a grey-blue chest, and a light brown belly. Females and immature California quail are mainly grey-brown, with a light-colored belly. The closest relative of the California quail is Gambel's quail. Gambel's quail has a more southerly distribution than California quail, a longer crest that measures 2.5 inches (6.4 cm), a brighter head, and does not have the scaly appearance that marks the California quail. These two species diverged from each other roughly 1 to 2 million years ago, during the Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene epoch. The California quail was chosen as the state bird of California in 1931.
